A Conversation for The Creation of the Space Shuttle

The origin of OV-101's name "Enterprise"

Post 1

Matthew G P Coe

A tidbit regarding Enterprise's name that the researchers seem to have omitted:

OV-101 was originally to be christened "Constitution". When word of its name was provided to the press, throngs of Trekkies mailed the White House, insisting the first craft into space be entitled "Enterprise", after Gene Roddenberry's flagship. NASA consented and renamed the first orbiter "Enterprise" and, as we now know (thanks to the creation of the television program "Enterprise") that innumerable "Enterprise"s have been created, and the first interstellar craft will be called "Enterprise". Fate? Who knows. OV-101 was, in the end, a test vehicle that did not achieve the same orbits that Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, Endeavour and Challenger achieved, but was the first in the line -- and that's what's truly important.

Another interesting tidbit about Enterprise -- it was actually intended to go into space circa 1978. After Columbia had been constructed and a need arose for a second active orbiter, NASA considered retrofitting Enterprise to make the craft spaceworthy, but ultimately decided not to alter Enterprise from its current Approach and Landing Test configuration. As such, Challenger (which was also originally a test vehicle) was created and, unfortunately, ultimately destroyed in an O-ring failure in 1986.


The origin of OV-101's name "Enterprise"

Post 2

Oberon2001 (Scout)

Is there any chance I could persuade you to hang around Peer Review, so that things like this can actually make it into the entry!
Oberon2001


The origin of OV-101's name "Enterprise"

Post 3

Matthew G P Coe

Yeah, I really should, shouldn't I? I know a whole lot of useless things about a whole lot of stuff! -laughs-


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